Thursday 7 August 1969 | Studios Two and Three, EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London
Producer: George Martin | Engineers: Geoff Emerick, Phil McDonald
Two sessions took place at Abbey Road on 7 August 1969, producing some of the most celebrated moments on the Abbey Road album. In the afternoon, ten stereo mixes of ‘Come Together’ were completed, with the first mix selected for both the single and the album. In the evening, Paul McCartney recorded the ‘Love you, love you’ vocals for ‘The End’ — and then, in one of the most spontaneous and joyful moments of The Beatles’ final recording sessions, all three guitarists recorded their legendary alternating solos in a single take.
Session One: Mixing Come Together (2.30–6pm)
In the control room of Studio Two, from 2.30pm to 6pm, the team produced ten stereo mixes of ‘Come Together’. John Lennon’s vocals were treated with artificial double-tracking (ADT) during the choruses — a technique developed at Abbey Road in 1966 that had become a staple of The Beatles’ studio sound.
Of the ten mixes produced, the first was considered the best. It was this mix that was issued as a double A-side single with ‘Something’ on 31 October 1969, and that appeared on the Abbey Road album.
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Session Two: The End — Vocals and Guitar Solos (6pm–midnight)
The second session moved to Studio Three and ran from 6pm to midnight. Paul McCartney recorded the ‘Love you, love you’ backing vocals for ‘The End’ multiple times, including one pass with the tape machine running slower than normal — a technique that raises the pitch of the recording when played back at normal speed, giving the vocals a brighter, more ethereal quality.
The new vocal recording freed up track four on the multitrack tape, creating space for what would become one of the most celebrated moments on the entire album: the three-way alternating guitar solos by McCartney, Harrison and Lennon.
Engineer Geoff Emerick later described the session in vivid detail for MusicRadar.com:
“The idea for guitar solos was very spontaneous and everybody said, ‘Yes! Definitely’ – well, except for George, who was a little apprehensive at first. But he saw how excited John and Paul were so he went along with it. Truthfully, I think they rather liked the idea of playing together, not really trying to outdo one another per se, but engaging in some real musical bonding.
Yoko was about to go into the studio with John – this was commonplace by now – and he actually told her, ‘No, not now. Let me just do this. It’ll just take a minute.’ That surprised me a bit. Maybe he felt like he was returning to his roots with the boys – who knows?
The order was Paul first, then George, then John, and they went back and forth. They ran down their ideas a few times and before you knew it, they were ready to go. Their amps were lined up together and we recorded their parts on one track. You could really see the joy in their faces as they played; it was like they were teenagers again. One take was all we needed. The musical telepathy between them was mind-boggling.”
— Geoff Emerick, MusicRadar.com
The solos rotate in the order McCartney → Harrison → Lennon, each playing two bars before passing to the next, cycling through the sequence three times. It is the only occasion on a Beatles recording where all three guitarists traded solos in this way — and it was captured in a single take.
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The Significance of ‘The End’
‘The End’ closes the medley that occupies the second side of Abbey Road — and, in effect, closes The Beatles’ recording career. Its final lines — “And in the end, the love you take / Is equal to the love you make” — are the last words sung on the album (excluding the brief hidden track ‘Her Majesty’). The three-way guitar solo, recorded in a single spontaneous take on 7 August 1969, is the musical centrepiece of that closing statement.
The session also marked a rare moment of unity in what had been a fractious period for the group. John Lennon asking Yoko Ono to wait outside — something Emerick noted as unusual — suggests that for those few hours in Studio Three, The Beatles were simply four musicians playing together, as they had done since the beginning.
Key Facts
| Date | Thursday 7 August 1969 |
| Studios | Studios Two and Three, EMI Studios, Abbey Road, London |
| Producer | George Martin |
| Engineers | Geoff Emerick, Phil McDonald |
| Session one | 2.30–6pm — 10 stereo mixes of Come Together (mix 1 selected for single and album) |
| Session two | 6pm–midnight — The End vocals and guitar solos |
| Guitar solo order | McCartney → Harrison → Lennon (alternating, 2 bars each, 3 cycles) |
| Takes required for guitar solos | One |
| Come Together single released | 31 October 1969 (double A-side with Something) |
Abbey Road Studios, St John’s Wood, London — where Come Together was mixed and The End’s guitar solos were recorded on 7 August 1969.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who plays the guitar solos in The End by The Beatles?
The guitar solos in The End are played by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon, alternating in that order, two bars each, cycling through three times. They were recorded in a single take at Abbey Road on 7 August 1969.
How many takes did it take to record the guitar solos in The End?
Just one take. Engineer Geoff Emerick described the musical telepathy between the three guitarists as “mind-boggling” and said it was like watching them become teenagers again.
What mix of Come Together was used on the Abbey Road album?
The first of ten stereo mixes made on 7 August 1969 was selected as the best and used on both the Abbey Road album and the Come Together / Something double A-side single released on 31 October 1969.
What does ADT mean in Beatles recording sessions?
ADT stands for Artificial Double Tracking, a technique developed at Abbey Road in 1966. It creates the effect of a doubled vocal without the singer having to record the part twice. It was used on John Lennon’s vocals during the choruses of Come Together.
What are the last words on the Abbey Road album?
The last sung words on Abbey Road are “And in the end, the love you take / Is equal to the love you make”, from The End. These close the medley on side two and effectively serve as The Beatles’ final lyrical statement on their last recorded album (excluding the brief hidden track Her Majesty).
→ Tape copying, recording: Hey Jude, Not Guilty – 7 August 1968
→ George Harrison: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ John Lennon: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ Paul McCartney: Beatles History, Solo Career, Songs & Legacy
→ August in Beatles History
→ On This Day in Beatles History
→ The Beatles Knowledge Hub
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